Menifee council approves fixes at Holland, Leon roads

The City Council on Wednesday unanimously approved cooperative agreements to improve conditions on Holland and Leon Roads.

One agreement -- to provide interim paving to an unimproved portion of Holland Road near Herk Bouris Elementary School -- comes after the city’s months-long quest to untangle a number of issues that have prevented a quick fix.

Councilman Tom Fuhrman is one of four private owners of that portion of a road that the public has used for more than 60 years. A portion of the road, which Menifee parents used to take their children to the new school, is also within Lake Elsinore’s city limits.

The agreement approved Wednesday calls for both Menifee and Lake Elsinore to evenly split the $89,000 needed to pave the pot-hole-pocked quarter-mile stretch of Holland Road, with Lake Elsinore serving as the lead agency

Interim City Manager Rob Johnson reminded the council that the paving is an interim fix -- which will not include curbs or gutters -- until the city can acquire the road, a process that will require an administrative law judge to determine the fair market value.

Construction is expected to begin after Lake Elsinore’s City Council approves its half of the agreement next week and is expected to be completed by the time school resumes Jan. 14.

“This is a fantastic solution; very creative,” Mayor Scott Mann said. “This has been a thorn in the side of travelers who take that road to take their kids to school.”

The City Council also approved a cooperative agreement with Riverside County for safety improvements on Leon Road between Scott and Keller roads.

With the county already securing $900,000 in grant money for the $1.55 million project, Menifee will be on the hook for $325,000 over the next four years for the project, which will improve sight lines and provide four-foot paved shoulders on the hilly road.

The city will pay $100,000 this year and $75,000 in each of the next three fiscal years to match the county’s commitment to improvements on Leon Road, which has portions within each district.